Bible Rules for Kids

Ten Commandments

• The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 can seem to be just a divine laundry list to add to the expectations you already have for your child. But, as the backbone of defining what is good and right as you try to raise your child in your faith, a basic understanding of the practical application of these Bible rules is a necessary foundation. You can sum up the spirit of God's law for your child by explaining that God expects your child to respect Him in all that she says and does and how she treats others. She should make God the most important element in her life, refrain from using His name as a negative word and set aside time to spend with Him and His other followers to encourage one another and learn more about Him. She needs to gracefully respect the position of authority that God has granted you over her and trust that your requirements are for her own safety and education. She should be content with what she has and not let her heart be ruled by bitterness and jealousy.

Obey and Honor

• In addition to reiterating the requirement for children to honor their parents, Ephesians 6:1-2 admonishes children to obey their parents. Most kids, by the time they go to school, will be able to tell you that this means doing what they are told. But, you can explain that true acts of obedience need to be done cheerfully and the first time without dragging her feet, complaining, stalling or bargaining. By practicing first-time obedience, she is also obeying the honor command by respecting and trusting your authority.

Love

• In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus teaches that the most important commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor. Explain to your child that if she follows these two rules, then every other rule should automatically fall into place. If your child loves God, she will want to spend time with Him, learn more about Him and treat Him as a friend. It won't be a hard job to remember because it will become a natural part of her life. If she loves others, she will not want to do anything to hurt them and will actively work to protect them and be a good influence in their lives.

Do Unto Others

• Many people are familiar with the Golden Rule that Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:12: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.̶1; In simplest terms, this means treat people the same way you want them to treat you. Explain to your child that this does not necessarily mean you do the exact same thing that you would want someone to do for you but that you consider what would best communicate love and caring to another person in a given circumstance. If your child's idea of being cheered up from a bad day is chocolate ice cream, that doesn't mean she should automatically go around handing out chocolate ice cream when her friends are blue. Say one of them is lactose-intolerant, then that would not be a considerate thing to do. Maybe her friend's favorite treat is an orange Popsicle or gluten-free brownies. Taking her friend's needs and preferences into consideration then is a better way to show the love you hope she shows you when your situation is reversed.